The Winding Paths
by rlsa
Summary: Sometimes when you meet a fork in the road, you take the one that you feel you must, instead of the one you wish you would. But sometimes, if you walk that path long enough, you may find that it crosses the one you wanted. And rarely, very rarely, at the end of it all, you may find that they both end up at the same place after all.
1. The Almost Kiss

Hermione reached into her bag. She fumbled for a minute but couldn't find her new quill. "You go on to dinner. I must have left my new quill back in DADA," she called to Harry and Ron. She hoped that Professor Snape had left the classroom by then and therefore wouldn't tell her that she was careless in taking care of her supplies and that he, of course, wouldn't expect anything different from a "know-it-all" busy trying to prove her worth to everyone else.

She bounded down the staircase, found the room merciful empty, grabbed her quill and quickly made her exit before Snape might notice she was there. She turned the corner and but halted suddenly when she heard what sounded like a very distressed student coming from a dark classroom. She found the door was locked, but she uttered a quick Alohomora and entered to help the poor student.

What she found instead was a distressed and bone-tired looking Malfoy.

He turned sharply and his distressed look quickly turned into a sneer. "You have no business being here, Granger. Leave. Now."

"What, and miss whatever has stolen your overbearing, pompous attitude? I don't think so. Problems at home, Malfoy?"

He reached her in four steps. "You don't know anything! You have no idea what's going on. You have no idea what's going to happen, and you have no idea what he'd do to you if he ever had the chance. When he comes, and know that he will come, Granger, run. Get as far from here as possible. Hide and don't ever come back."

He had backed her into the wall as he was speaking and had trapped her between his arms as he placed his hands on the wall stratelling her shoulders. This wasn't the git that had tormented her the last five and a half years. His eyes were flooded with desperation as he begged her to leave Hogwarts and get somewhere safe. Hermione felt trapped, like a fox. But instead of looking at a hound, Malfoy seemed like he was equally hunted.

"Dumbledore will help, Malfoy," she said gently. "He'll protect us. He'll protect you."

The despair shone in his eyes, but Draco only shook his head. "He'll ... I have to .." He closed his eyes and Hermione could feel his breath on her neck. His face was mere inches from hers now.

"It will be okay, Malfoy," Hermione breathed as his lips hovered over hers. "I promise, it will all..."

Draco opened his eyes with a snap. His soft features were gone and had been replaced with a stone cold veneer. "Be safe, Granger," he barked and turned and fled the room.


	2. Rose and Scorpius's Wedding

The wedding had been beautiful. The warm, autumn sky was resplendent with stars as Rose was married to Scorpius just one hour earlier in the garden of Malfoy Manor. That spring, when Rose had told her of their intention to hold the wedding at the Manor, as no other place could hold the necessary number of guests except for the Ministry itself, Hermione had held back her significant reservations about returning to the place where she had been tortured during the war. But she found that the Manor had been completely renovated to remove all likeness to the building in which Voldemort had made his headquarters, and the wedding itself was just beautiful.

As Rose and Scorpius were Bonded, Rose's love shone from her face, while Scorpius looked upon her with such adoration that no one could doubt that they were meant to be together. Hermione thought back to the first time Scorpius had been brought around to meet the family. Rose, Al and Scorpius had all been Sorted into Ravenclaw, much to the unbelief of the Weasley clan. And then, much to the surprise of all of Hogwarts, the three of them formed their own trio and one was never seen without the other two. Eight years earlier, there had been a knock on the Burrow's door during the Weasley Christmas feast, and when Al ran to open it, she noticed Harry and Ron look at each other in horror as they realized it could only mean that Al had invited Scorpius. She laughed aloud at the memory of Rose and Al forming a type of shield around Scorpius, seemingly daring anyone to say anything about Scorpius not belonging. Seems the Ravenclaws had some courage after all, or perhaps it was just the result of a complex calculation that concluded that Gryffindors wouldn't break through a Weasley - Potter shield at a Burrow Christmas Dinner to affront a guest, even if that guest was a Malfoy, QED.

Across the dining hall, Draco watched as Hermione threw her head back and laughed. Merlin, how resplendent she looked in her velvet and satin cinnamon colored robes. Her normally fierce, bushy hair had been tamed into a pile of smooth curls cascading down her back, and the light from the evening sky made her skin glow with warmth. Just as Scorpius and Rose were reminiscent of the sun and moon this evening, Hermione was surely the brightest star in the sky, even outshining his beloved Astoria.

The orchestra started to play and Hermione watched as Scorpius led Rose out for their first dance. She suppressed a giggle as she recalled the previous Ministry Christmas Ball where every eye watched to see how Ron and Draco would react to Rose and Scorpius's engagement while the couple just danced around the hall with eyes only for each other. She thought back to all the times she stepped out of Rose's flue to find Rose and Scorpius animatedly explaining to the other the potions or arithmancy theories in their new magazines while Al just watched on, shaking his head at them. Other times, they would amiably discuss their new spell ideas, each of them improving upon the latest draft the other had proffered.

As the first dance ended, Ron kissed Hermione as he left for his dance with Rose. Hermione watched as Scorpius handed Rose to Ron and then took his mother's hand for their dance as well. She smiled as she watched the two couples when she was suddenly startled to find Draco standing next to her.

Draco held out his hand and asked, "Will you do me the honor of this dance, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione glanced furtively around the room only to notice half of the guests' eyes on her, waiting to see if she would dismiss the former Death Eater without consideration. She instead inclined her chin, gave her most magnificent smile for the crowd to see, placed her hand in his and replied, "With pleasure, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco waltzed her around the room as if she were gliding on air. He closely held her hand and waist and led every move as if it was she who was his usual dance partner. And with every effortless turn and step, she forgot all the guests and lost herself to the fragrance of his cologne and the feel of his arms. Oh, how it might have been different if she had kissed him that night. Perhaps it might have been she who was on his arm at those Ministry Balls. Perhaps it could have been them who had those evenings where they inundated each other with latest potion developments or arithmancy theories they were respectively reading about. Perhaps they would have had heated arguments over new ideas, like those arguments they always had, but then come out stronger and with a better understanding that neither could have formed on his own.

Hermione chanced a glance into Draco's eyes, and they held hers as if Imobliused. His clear grey eyes were open like windows to his soul, just as they had been twenty-nine years earlier. She could see his own yearning, his own musings, his own regrets. As the orchestra finished, Hermione searched to find the words she wanted to speak, but could only stammer, "I … I …" Draco leaned down and tenderly kissed her cheek, conveying everything that they both wanted to say, but for which twenty-nine years later, there were no longer any words.

He released her, spoke a "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," to which she replied a "The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Malfoy," and he turned away to collect his wife and rejoin the reception.

She returned to her table where Ron arrived a second later and offered her a glass of champagne. "So you had to dance with the ferret, huh? Thank Merlin that Hugo isn't involved with Violet Zambini. I think I'd rather drop dead than dance with Pansy."

Hermione turned, brushed away all thoughts of the past and laughed joyfully with Ron. "You'd better hope he doesn't cross paths with Carlotta Goyle. That would be even worse."

With a gleam in his eye, Ron held out his hand to Hermione. "For now, I could do with a dance with the loveliest witch in the room. … Um, well, tied for the loveliest witch, anyway. Can't outshine our Rose today, now can we?"

Hermione beamed at her husband. They danced, laughed and celebrated their daughter and her new husband and collapsed into each others arms when they returned to their cottage late that night.


	3. Antares

It was one of those July days that are so hot and humid that you don't want to do anything but lay under a cooling charm with a fan and a glass of something cold. Hermione quickly stepped outside the wards of their cottage and Apparated to St. Mungo's.

She took the lift to the maternity ward and asked the receptionist for Rose Malfoy's room. She walked in to see her daughter holding her newborn son. "His name's Antares, Mum. Isn't he perfect?"

She grinned at her grandson, who was sporting a lock of curly white blond hair. "He is," she agreed.

The men had gone down for a coffee and Rose had decided to take a nap as little Antares was napping. "Sleep while the baby sleeps," she said with a wink. Hermione sat on the sofa cradling her little grandson.

Draco quietly knocked and entered the room. Hermione held a finger to her lips to keep him from waking Rose or Antares. He sat beside Hermione to get his first glimpse of his new grandson. She leaned into him so he could get a better look.

"See, he has your hair color, but my curls. And look at the smattering of freckles right across the bridge of his nose. Those must be from Ron. And he has a cute button nose, just like Astoria's," she cooed. "Here, you should hold him."

She handed the bundle to Draco who looked down at the sleeping baby. He grinned at Hermione. "He's perfect," he breathed. "He's absolutely perfect."

She grinned back. "He sure is. He's your grandson after all," she joked.

"He's perfect because he's _your_ grandson," he replied seriously. "He's going to be the brightest wizard of his age, just like his brilliant grandmother."

Across the room, Rose cracked her eyes to see her father-in-law smiling down at her son, and then at Hermione, and then back to Antares. It was at that point when she realized that she had never seen him smile before, but there he was, grinning like he had just won the Quidditch World Cup.

A light knock at the door brought him out of his quiet revelry. He handed Antares back to Hermione as Scorpius and Al walked back into the room. His expression was quickly schooled back into the usual indifference. "Congratulations, Son. It is a great milestone to meet the newest Malfoy heir." Draco turned and nodded his acknowledgement to Al Potter and then left the room.

Disappointment flitted across Scorpius's face, but then quickly passed as he saw Hermione holding his little Antares. Hermione noticed that he was grinning just like his father, when she passed him his son.

Days later, Rose tried to tell Scorpius just how happy Draco had looked when he held Antares for the first time. She swore she saw him smile and coo at their little son, but while Scorpius never argued with her, he always thought that she must have still been affected by the little sleep and the healing potions from the night before.


	4. Heartbreak and Hogwarts

"MUM!"

Hermione set her quill down and looked up.

"HERMIONE! MUM!"

She rose from her chair, grabbed her wand and hurried to open her door. Scorpius was running down the ministry corridor to her office. She ran to meet him. "What's wrong? What happened?" she called as she took in his blood soaked auror's robes.

Scorpius grabbed her hand and raced her to the flues. He tossed in the flue powder, called "St. Mungo's," pushed her in, and a moment later, he stumbled out of the St. Mungo's flue right behind her.

He grabbed her hand again and ran to the stairwell, not bothering to wait for the lift. They were winded as they flew onto the third floor, but ran the corridor until they encountered Harry. "Hermione! In here!" Harry now grabbed her hand and turned the corner to see a Healer in blood soaked robes exit a room.

"Mr. Potter, we tried. There was nothing we could …"

Harry and Hermione pushed past him into the operating room. Empty potion bottles littered the room and blood pooled on the floor and soaked the cloth over the body, leaving only a tuft of red hair visible at the end.

"RON!" Hermione slipped on the blood as she raced to Ron's body, tears streaming down her face. "NO! RON!"

Harry and the other aurors had killed or captured the remaining dark wizards that day while Scorpius had Apparated his mentor to St. Mungo's after having been hit multiple times by a new dark severing spell. Ron had been given a hero's funeral, attended by over half the wizarding population as the Ministry had called for a national day of mourning. Hermione had not left her cottage since.

The Potters, Weasleys, Rose and Scorpius had been over every day since, trying to encourage Hermione to eat something or take a walk or read a new book. Hermione always told them she would and that she was okay, but nothing ever changed. A few weeks later, Draco Malfoy overheard Rose tell her concerns to Astoria after one of their Sunday dinners - how nothing could rouse Hermione from her depression.

Monday morning, Draco strode into his office. "Clear my calendar today. I need an appointment with Richard Fairfax of Blazing Feathers Publishing no later than 10 this morning. Procure me a wifi hotspot and a top of the line tablet computer with an account in this name by noon," he directed his secretary, throwing a slip of paper onto his desk. Draco strode into his office and pulled out a book.

Just after noon, he Apparated to the Weasley's cottage. He noted his presence registered as he crossed the wards and knocked on the door. "Weasley, I know you're in there. Open the door. I'm here on business."

A minute later, Hermione cracked the door. "Malfoy," she said wearily, "I'm not in the mood."

Draco pushed the door open and walked right in. He noted her dull and careless appearance and decided Rose hadn't been exaggerating. "Take some time to freshen up. I need to discuss some business with you and it cannot be postponed. Go on. Take a shower or something." He pushed her to her bedroom and closed the door. He smirked as he heard the shower start.

Draco prepared a pot of tea and set out fruit, scones and tea sandwiches on two plates. He set the service on the tea table just as Hermione emerged. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked wearily.

"What do I need, is a more appropriate question," he replied, handing her a plate of food. "Eat something. I'm not about to discuss business over tea by myself. Try the scone," he said as he handed her one on which he had spread some clotted cream. "I picked them up at the new bakery on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. They are supposed to be the best in all of London."

Hermione looked at him as if he had grown a second head. What was Malfoy doing at a muggle bakery in Muggle London? She took a bite of the scone, which crumbled in her mouth. Malfoy kept handing her food and discussing the Muggle shops from which he had procured them until Hermione had eaten the scone, a sandwich and a small mound of fruit, at which point she asked him how he was able to pay for everything, as they didn't take Galleons.

"A credit card. Muggles have these cards which tally all your purchases and then you pay a bill at the end of the month. And they're taken everywhere! I don't even need to carry pounds." Now she _knew_ that Malfoy had grown two heads.

"Anyway, Hermione," he said as he handed her a cup of steaming tea, "moving on to business, Malfoy Industries prides itself on producing only the highest quality products because mediocrity is for lesser companies. This morning I was informed that we had won the contract for a new edition of _Hogwarts: A History_. This edition is to be completely overhauled with all the latest developments and new educational opportunities Hogwarts offers. Additionally, I was informed that we have only six months to send the revised edition to the printer as it needs to hit the shelves by July, in time for the new students to purchase the book.

"There is exactly one person who knows everything about the prior editions and who has the experience and knowledge to create a comprehensive and exceptional volume, and that is you. As I refuse to let this become a black mark on Malfoy Industries, I am here personally to ask that you accept my request to author this latest edition."

Draco looked around the room. "Ah, excellent." He pulled out the hotspot and tablet computer and set them on the table. "Glad to see that you have muggle electricity as it is necessary for this device to work. You see, this is something called a 'computer,' and it has something inside called a 'battery' that stores something called 'electricity,' which allows the computer to operate."

"Yes, Malfoy. I grew up muggle so I know what a computer is and how one operates. What I don't understand is how you have come to have one."

"Ah, well it turns out that this computer allows you to make something called a 'file'," at the mention of which Hermione rolled her eyes, "which can be sent to many people and therefore you only need to dictate your message once. Much better than a Quotes Quill, as that can only write one document at a time."

Hermione looked around the room searching for something to tell her that this conversation was actually happening, and not just in her imagination.

Draco turned on the computer. "This is your email account. Um, do know what email is?" Hermione nodded. "Good. My secretary has sent over a file containing the first two chapters. He will continue until all the chapters are typed into files so you will have the previous edition from which to work. If we can get your final draft five months from now, we will proof it and send it out for printing. In the meantime, email me if you need anything. I have an office for you on the executive level of MI's building, but don't feel like you need to use it. There's a private Apparation point, so no one need see you coming or going if you don't want them to.

"Now, I need to take my leave as I have other business which needs my attention. However, I will send you lunch on the days you don't come into the office." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Thank you, Hermione. I knew I could count on you for this."

He exited the cottage and left Hermione wondering what had just happened. Did she agree to author the revision to her favorite book? The whole encounter was quite surreal. She looked at the computer on her table. Well, she supposed that she must have. She picked it up and opened the file.

That night when Ginny came to bring her dinner and sit for company, she found Hermione surrounded by stacks of parchment with various notes and maps and pictures of Hogwarts. "Here," Hermione thrust a map into her hands. "Do you remember this staircase swinging counter clockwise? I'm pretty sure it did. I'm just going to have to owl Neville and arrange for a visit to make sure."

"Hermione, what's all this?" Ginny grinned, taken aback by her friend's sudden enthusiasm.

"I'm authoring the new edition of _Hogwarts: A History_ and I only have 5 months to get everything done. Now, I have a pretty good idea about the greenhouses, but I want to say that I recall Neville saying something about a new one they plan to build this summer."

Ginny laughed at her friend's suddenly energetic appearance. She'd have to thank whoever had gotten Hermione to live again.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco knotted his tie and grabbed his robes. He leaned over his bed and kissed Astoria's forehead. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Usually, she rose before him and was awaiting him at the breakfast table with coffee and eggs.

"'M fin."

"Are you sure you don't want me to call the healer, just to make sure? She'd be here in an instant, and it won't take much time."

"'M tir'd. Jus' need sl'p."

"Okay. Well, if you're sure. I'll be home for lunch to see if you're feeling better by then. If not, we'll call the healer, okay? I love you, darling. Get some rest."

"Dr'co." She shuffled her hand under the covers as if she might be trying to reach for his face, but it quickly stilled.

Hearing nothing more, he kissed her again and left for work.

2 hours later Mipsy appeared at Draco's office. "Master, come quickly! I can't awaken Mistress!"

Draco rushed from his office to the private flue, directing his secretary to flue Healer Addams immediately and send her to Malfoy Manor.

Draco ran to the bedroom and grabbed Astoria's cold hand. "Astoria! Astoria! Ennervate!"

Healer Addams was immediately there and checked for a pulse, but she was already gone. "I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy."

"I should have called this morning!" he raged. He turned away and quickly schooled his features. It wouldn't do for the Healer to see him as anything but composed. He could lose his mind later, in private.

"What were her symptoms this morning?" Healer Addams asked.

"She was tired. She barely moved. She usually is out of bed first, but today she was still in bed when I left for work 2 hours prior," he answered coolly.

"How were her words?" she asked as she ran some diagnostic spells. "Was she slurring? How was her motor control?"

Draco relayed that Astoria was indeed slurring her words and that she was quite lethargic and wasn't moving. Healer Addams said that she thought Astoria may have died from a stroke and asked if he wanted further spellwork to confirm. No, he did not.

The private funeral was 2 days later and was attended by those with whom Astoria conducted her charity work, as well as the family. Draco sat sullenly in front of the coffin while the guests entered the manor for tea and refreshments. "Why don't you attend the guests," Hermione suggested to Rose and Scorpius, "and I'll stay with Draco."

After some time, he called Mipsy. "Bring me as many shovels as you can find." She returned with ten. He charmed nine to start digging, and he took the last and dug the grave himself. An hour later, blisters covering his hands, they all stopped digging and he lowered Astoria's coffin into the ground.

"I never deserved you. I was broken and you healed me. I told you that you were better off without me, and yet you refused to leave. I was never able to show you just how much you gave me, just how much you held me up, just how much I needed you, or just how much I loved you. And in the end, I let you die. It's my fault you're here instead of inside our home," he cried, tears streaming down his cheek. "You gave me everything, and I let you die!"

Hermione silently walked up to Draco, and placed her hand on his back. "I'll finish," she said softly. She levitated the loose dirt and buried the coffin. Draco stood there, tears still falling. "Let's get you to your study."

Hermione saw him to his private lounge, where he promptly collapsed in a chair. "Get some rest, Draco. I'll be back with dinner in a few hours." She left knowing that he'd want space to mourn in private.

She returned that evening, after having checked in with Rose and Scorpius to make sure they were okay. Scorpius was mourning deeply, but seeing him in Rose's arms, she knew he would be cared for. She picked up curry and headed back to the Manor. Scorpius had adjusted the wards earlier so that she would be able to enter without an escort.

She walked into Draco's study to find him sitting on a leather sofa in front of a roaring fire with a bottle of firewhiskey at his feet and a glass in his hand. Every other piece of furniture in the room was destroyed. Looking at the fire, she noticed that glass shards glittered around the hearth and she saw the remains of three bottles of firewhiskey.

"Draco, I've brought curry. Um, can I get you some tea?"

Draco downed the glass he was drinking. He poured another glass of firewhiskey, raised it in a mock toast, and downed it too.

"Draco, I think you've had enough firewhiskey. How about curry and tea?"

He picked up the bottle and threw it into the fireplace, where the alcohol was consumed in a large flame. He looked at his now empty glass and threw that too.

Hermione sat beside Draco on the sofa, putting her arm around him, the curry forgotten. "Shhhh," she whispered, holding him like a mother would a child. "Rest. It will be better in the morning."

"Granger. Don't leave, Granger."

He hadn't called her Granger in almost forty years. "Shhhh. I'll stay. Just sleep." She started singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while holding and rocking him gently, just like she had with Rose and Hugo thirty-four years earlier. He leaned into her thinking that muggle lullabies sure were strange and was shortly asleep.


	6. The Paths Rejoin

He awoke the next morning and found that he was still snuggled in Hermione's arms. Both mortified and comforted that she had stayed, he carefully extricated himself. Throwing a blanket over her, he left to find a hangover potion and a glass of water.

Later that morning, Hermione was escorted into the tea room for breakfast and shook her head when she found Draco freshly showered and neatly dressed for a day at work.

"Are you going into work?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course. All those accounts won't manage themselves. I've already not been there for three days."

"You have fantastic vice-presidents, and it was just the weekend. I'm sure you can leave them in charge for another week."

"And just what would you have me do otherwise? I have nothing outside of that company, now. And in case you haven't seen the papers, there's no way I'm going anywhere else for a while. I truly don't need being hounded by the press at the moment."

Hermione sat down and poured a cup of tea. "Come walk around Muggle London with me," she said as she sipped her tea. "I'll take you to the Eye and we'll get lunch at a street vendor and, well, maybe see a museum?"

Draco bowed his head and the despair shone in his eyes, but he only shook his head. "I don't know what to do," he whispered and closed his eyes.

"It will be okay, Draco," Hermione breathed. "I promise, it will all..."

Draco opened his eyes with a snap and turned to face her. He contemplated her for a minute and then nodded. "Be okay," he finished.


End file.
